Charlie Black / 07 January 2026 / Categories: City, Transportation & Parking, Travel and Holidays, Transport, Rail

East Midlands Trains Comparison From Leicester and Rugby To London and whether an upgrade to 1st Class is really worth it

Travelling by train from the Midlands to London; check smaller nearby stations for much cheaper tickets

This snoop is for anyone who travels by train regularly and needs a good rant. I am always having a moan about the trains and how much they cost, alongside how bad the service is; especially as a freelancer, I have to pay for my work transportation myself.

I’ve got quite a bit of experience and not the type to spend on first class tickets but I’d thought I’d share the ways I manage to save money and get myself into the 1st class carriage without breaking the bank or getting myself arrested by the transport police.

I travel from the Midlands to London St Pancreas from Leicester a journey which takes about an hour which can cost anywhere from a few pounds to £80 each way depending on the time you want to travel and how early you book in advance, also the website you choose to book your ticket on.

Leicester to London can take anywhere from just over an hour, one hour and 5 minutes the fastest up to one hour and 25 minutes, with no changes.

And the price at peak times from 7am in the morning to 9.30am the price varies weekdays from £114 (£167 first class) return up to £170 (£233 first class)

If you can give a couple of weeks notice, I checked prices on the Trainline and Train tickets, you get things a little cheaper but not much the fares ranged for peak time travel from £92 (£125 in first class) up to £154 (£175 first class) on the trainline, and £97 to £151 on Train tickets.

On Lner for the same dates and times the economy tickets were more but the first class tickets were a little cheaper, except the fastest trains where you have to pay £210 for a 1st class return ticket at peak times.

My advice if you want to get to London and don’t have to travel from Leicester, go from Rugby in Warwickshire instead and make a significant saving, with equivalent tickets to London St Pancreas (trains get into Euston and then take the tube one stop to St Pancreas) I walk on a nice day, takes about 5 minutes, are available for as little as £52 return for the same dates and times. If you are prepared to miss the rush hour, leave a little later like 9.30am and don’t mind a stop at Milten Keynes, putting 10 minutes on the journey time, the price drops at low as £40 return.

With closer cheaper parking, a smaller station, less hassle and still just over an hour into London.

We all know British train service compared to European service are shocking. The reason I always check out 1st class prices is not because 1st is so much better, it’s not, but you are guaranteed a seat, standing all the way when you are working is not ideal and there is hostess service which on a packed train at rush hour is worth the sometimes only £20 - £30 extra. Especially if you’ve saved the difference travelling from a smaller less well used station like in my case Rugby.

My advice to anyone travelling by train especially to London, check out nearby smaller stations like Wakefield instead of Leeds, or Five Ways instead of Birmingham New Street. And definitely do your homework on the different websites and apps offering tickets as the prices can vary quite considerably depending on travel times and dates, advance notice and special offers.

I have even found sometimes purchasing two single tickets from different sites can work out cheaper than shopping conveniently all in one place.

Older railway stations like Leeds and Leicester have had significant refurbishment and are much more interesting architecturally and historically than smaller stations but if a great deal on your fare is more important I suggest travelling from a small local station with perhaps fewer trains for less and using some of the saving for a definite quieter seat in a 1st class carriage.